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10.08.2014

marathon chronicles 09. race recap 25k.

Hokulani 25k - Kailua, HI

5:30am, 10.5.14

loved this race tee! the sponsor was a bakery known for it's cupcakes...so you know what was at the finish line!

this race was described as the most difficult in our 5-race marathon readiness series. it was mostly flat with some rolling hills and two challenging hills at miles 9 to 11. and challenging they were...just look at the elevation! in addition, the course was 3.2 miles longer than the last one (15.5 miles total), so the game plan for this race was to take it nice and easy.

the early start for this race was at 4:30am, which meant a 2am wake up call. it was difficult getting to bed so early, and i tossed and turned most of the night worried that i wouldn't hear my (5) alarms. while i allowed myself the same amount of time to get ready, i just felt rushed and full from my usual 16 oz of water + cereal/banana/peanut butter/coffee breakfast. psychologically, the pre-race routine is difficult to do at 2am when your body is usually at rest.

it was a rough start...my body didn't want to get going. we were faced with some hills in the first few miles which added to my general sluggishness.

mile 1: 13:19

mile 2: 12:06

mile 3: 12:42

mile 4: 12:52

mile 5: 12:10

my mind finally felt in sync with my body as the course flattened out in miles 6-8. i felt good enough to pick up the pace, but with two killer hills and nine more miles to go, i kept it nice and slow.

mile 6: 13:04

mile 7: 13:32

mile 8: 13:19

the hills were tough, but early on i decided not to stress about it. i walked when i needed to walk.

mile 9: 13:40

mile 10: 14:22 (the hills!)

mile 11: 13:09

the home stretch was nice and flat. i wasn't tired, just sore...the extra three miles were wearing on my knees and hip. instead of pushing it and risking injury or cramps, i made it an easy jog to the finish line.

the bad: it was super muggy and hot in the early morning as we ran along the ocean. the first water station wasn't even ready for us, so i couldn't hydrate until mile 5. the water provided tasted horrible. my right knee and hip were sore.

in the days following: the next day, it was painful to walk - my right knee and hip were still hurting. i used this recovery day to drink a lot of fluids,and took [the sample pack of] BioAstin hawaiian astaxanthin that i received in my race packet at a friend's recommendation. it's an antioxidant that's supposed to help with your joints and recovery among other things. i did an easy 45 minute walk tuesday and have plans to meet up with my friend for a run tonight.

actions to take: continue to increase my training run pace, get in some longer runs, and start running early morning (vs evening).

That's so fantastic! Go you! It's really admirable what you're doing, I'd never have the self control to do something like that, I'm a total couch potato most of the time. Those little honey gel packet things seem like a really neat idea, do they taste nice?